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Research shows that it is simply not true that night owls have a slow metabolism. What really affects their health is mainly lifestyle patterns like eating timing, lack of sleep and social jet lag.
Some people get out of bed before dawn, ready to exercise and enjoy a hearty mealBreakfast Others will press the alarm clock and continue to snooze after the alarm clock rings. They are still lethargic at noon and do not become energetic until after sunset. These natural rhythms are called circadian rhythms, and researchers are increasingly interested in how they affect health; One question that keeps coming up is this: Do night owls change the way the body burns energy, or is there something else going on?
The biological clock type reflects the body’s natural preference for sleeping and waking up at specific times. Morning larks are at their freshest in the morning, while “night owls” are at their peak late in the day.
Genetics play a key role in determining what type of circadian clock you have, and although age, exposure to light, and daily habits play a role, many people maintain the same habits for most of their lives.
There is currently no strong evidence that night owls consume significantly fewer calories at rest than morning owls; Basal metabolic rate (BMR) mainly depends on factors such as body size, muscle mass, gender and age.
The difference researchers have found lies in the way the body processes energy; In other words, it has less to do with the size of the “engine” and more to do with how efficiently it operates.
In a study from Rutgers University in New Jersey, researchers compared morning people with night owls under controlled conditions. The results showed that in the morning people burned higher rates of fat as a source of energy, whether at rest or during exercise.
Night owls, on the other hand, rely more on carbohydrates as a source of energy. This pattern is important in the long term, as efficient fat burning is linked to better metabolic health.
The same study found that night owls are more resistant to the insulin that helps move blood sugar out of the blood, meaning their bodies require more insulin to perform the same function.
Insulin resistance, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long term, is one of the most important metabolic differences associated with the circadian clocks of night owls.
Large-scale population studies support this concern. A study tracking thousands of adults found that people who go to bed late have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who wake up early.
Much of this difference has to do with lifestyle habits that are more common among nocturnal owls, but even after taking these habits into account, some additional risks still exist.
